The Uttar Pradesh government has undertaken a massive recruitment drive to fill vacancies in various departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the state.

As various departments launch the recruitment exercise, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s office is keeping a close watch with more than 2 lakh posts likely to be filled up in the coming months.

Chief minister’s office has already asked various major departments to submit details about the total number of vacancies, the posts advertised or to be advertised along with the last date for submission of applications.

“Yes, we are collecting information from major departments about the steps taken to fill up the vacancies. It is difficult to ascertain the actual number of posts being thrown open for recruitment,” said a senior officer.

Chief secretary Javed Usmani has already held various meetings to review the situation. He has given a time table to various departments to advertise and fill the vacancies soon.

As per information there were about 90,000 vacancies at various levels in the police state department. The process for recruitments for 55000 posts has already started and the application forms will be made available from Thursday.

A decision has been taken to fill up 29334 posts of assistant teachers of science and mathematics (in the schools being run by urban local bodies) by October 31, 2013.

The state government has also asked the panchayat raj department to begin the process of filling up 26000 posts of village panchayat officers.

The department has also been asked to fill up 27000 posts of village development officers by placing the advertisements in the newspapers by August 2013.

At the same time the state revenue department has been asked to fill up nearly 6000 posts of ‘lekhpal’ soon.

Much significance is being attached to the massive recruitment drive as the large-scale filling up of vacancies may help in channelising the youths’ energy before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Chief minister had promised jobs to the youths when his government began the distribution of unemployment allowance in 2012. This recruitment drive will be nearing completion by the end of 2013.

The state government machinery will go into an election mode at this point of time.

So, the Samajwadi Party led government will be able to use the recruitment drives positively in its favour in the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

The SP will also be able to effectively counter the Opposition’s onslaught on the Akhilesh Yadav government for distributing laptops and freebies and not focusing on giving jobs to the youths.

Besides filling up posts through recruitment drives the state government has also asked the basic education department to absorb nearly 170000 Shiksha Mitras in the schools of urban local bodies after giving them training.

In the first phase training will be given to nearly 60000 Shiksha Mitras and they will be absorbed in regular jobs as teachers by January 2014.

Various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are also in the process of filling up the vacant posts on the lines of recruitment drives being launched by various departments.

Sources said the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporations (UPSRTC) and some other PSUs are in the final phases of launching drives to fill up various vacant posts.